Full story here!
"Court records show that within the past two years, three men sued Daniel Pantaleo — the officer seen wrapping his arm around Garner's neck — over allegedly unlawful, racially motivated arrests. Garner was black.
In a second lawsuit, a man accused Pantaleo and other officers of misrepresenting facts in a police report and other documents to substantiate charges that also were dismissed.
The president of the city's largest police union called Pantaleo's reassignment an unwarranted, knee-jerk decision."
Source: The Huffington Post
The Romanians:
There was the young couple from Romania (didn’t get their names) who escaped communist Romania and fled to Germany (well after the wall came down). They told us of the hardships that they endured and how they were treated and housed in many different German locations…but they were free! Eventually they were sponsored by their Uncle and were allowed to immigrate to the United States! Their story was amazing! They were traveling (on vacation) with their 6 month old son! In Turks & Caicos with a 6 month old! The kid was awesome. Not a peep out of him in all the fancy restaurants!
The Honeymooners!
Then there were the Houston newlyweds, Billy & Holly…married for 5 days! Their original plans were to honeymoon in Cabo San Lucas (Mexico) but hurricane Odile screwed that up! So at the last minute…they signed up for Turks & Caicos. They were awesome too! Just good, wonderful young people. We first met them on the resort’s beach and it was instant good vibes. And…he’s a fan of Crown Royal…which just so happens to be our kid’s new favorite beverage of choice! The honeymooners don’t know it…but they haven’t seen the last of us. Just good kids and we wish all the best for them!
The Ladies from Vancouver!
And finally...our new found buddies from Vancouver! We booked a half day “snorkeling/conch” cruise with “Caicos Dream Tours”. That’s where we met these two outgoing and fun-loving ladies (Rosemary & Christa)! “Ms. Rosey” invited us to her home and insisted that we take an Alaskan cruise…originating from Vancouver (her home town). She even said she would pick us up from the airport in Vancover! And…she invited us to stay with her in her two bedroom condo! (She may not know this…but we’re going to take her up on this invite)!!!
To us, this is just one of the greatest things about travel. It’s so much about the people you get to meet from all walks of life and from all over the world and then you quickly realize that we all have so much in common! Just good people! Oh…and the beach was awesome too!
Traveling is an awesome experience! It has ALWAYS been an awesome experience for us! It’s time to figure out where we’re going next and the wonderful people we may get a chance to meet! My best friend is trying to talk us into joining him and the Mrs. on a QM2 trans-Atlantic crossing from South Hampton, England to New York! We may just take him up on it!!!
Mr. Brown’s body was about 153 feet east of Officer Wilson’s car. Mr. Brown’s blood was about 25 feet east of his body. This evidence supports statements that Mr. Brown continued to move closer to the officer after being hit by an initial string of bullets."
"Just 36.4 percent of the voting-eligible population cast ballots as of last Tuesday, continuing a steady decline in midterm voter participation that has spanned several decades. The results are dismal, but not surprising – participation has been dropping since the 1964 election, when voter turnout was at nearly 49 percent.
The last time voter turnout was so low during a midterm cycle was in 1942, when only 33.9 percent of eligible voters cast ballots."
More details at The Washington Post.
More than half of Americans don't know which party controls the House and the Senate!
A study of 1416 American adults conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center found the following:
Who's more ignorant than Americans?
Ipsos MORI’s new global survey highlights how wrong the public across 14 countries are about the basic make-up of their populations and the scale of key social issues.
Looking across the full set of questions and how each country responded, we can identify a clear pattern in how close to reality the public in each country are. The image below shows that the country with the best understanding of these population characteristics and social issues is Sweden – and the country with the least accurate view is Italy.
I'm sick of all the talk about taking back America! Taking it back from who? Taking it back to where? Then there's all the criticism about the President's policies! But they never mention the exact policies that they are criticizing! It's all the generalities exaxcerbated by FOX news!
President Obama stepped into a bag of sh*t left at the front door of the White House upon Dubya's departure! Here is what this man has accomplished (in spite of Mitch McConnell declaring that his primary mission was to make President Obama a one term President)!:
But then again here are those "policies" (facts?) that the right wing wackos just can't get over:
I'm going to be drinking a whole "lotta" rum to get me thru the night!
"Members of Congress have long been far wealthier than the typical American, but the fact that now a majority of members — albeit just a hair over 50 percent — are millionaires represents a watershed moment at a time when lawmakers are debating issues like unemployment benefits, food stamps and the minimum wage, which affect people with far fewer resources, as well as considering an overhaul of the tax code."
He looked at us and said..."I don't like this". We asked why? He said...because this is sad! He is 5 years old!!!
Saudi Arabia:
A Sunni nation that ascribes to Sharia Law and is the only country in the world that prohibits women from driving. According to the Human Rights Watch Organization, Saudi Arabia has beheaded at least 19 people since the beginning of August! Yes! BEHEADED!
Qatar:
Beheading remains legal here. Most Qatari citizens are Sunni Muslims. There are claims that some of the very richest Qatari folks are funding ISIS!
Kuwait:
“Everybody knows the money is going through Kuwait and that it’s coming from the Arab Gulf,” said Andrew Tabler, senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “Kuwait’s banking system and its money changers have long been a huge problem because they are a major conduit for money to extremist groups in Syria and now Iraq.”
The majority of Kuwait's citizen population is Muslim. It is estimated that 60%–70% are Sunni and 30%–40% are Shias.
Epilog:
People...if it's one thing I believe...I'm certain that we cannot bring social, cultural (much less religious) change/re-thinking to this part of the world! Just ask Maureen Dowd!
ISIS/ISL:
ISIS is the shorthand for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Or, if you prefer, you can use the term ISL, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Levant? WTF? Check The Washington Post for additional details on who's who. These are the religious wackos who be-head folks! I think other mideast nations are also into be-heading people, but that's a whole 'nother subject! Anyway…these folks are supposedly extreme Sunni militants? I think they’re Sunni militants? No? Wasn't Saddam Hussein (aka...WMD) a Sunni" I need to dig into all of this. ISIS/ISL has been battling Kurdish militants trying to defend a town named Kobani, a besieged area in Syria (on the Turkey/Syria border)?
The Kurds:
These folks live in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and a few other places in the Middle East. Turkey is trying to prevent its Kurdish residents from entering into bordering Syria to help their Kurdish brethren fight ISIS/ISL. Why?
Because the Kurdish folks in Turkey are considered “separatists” fighting against the Turkish regime? In the mean time, Syrian Kurds are fleeing (by the thousands) into Turkey to escape the wacko ISIS/ISL folks!
Confused? I am!
Here’s to add to the confusion! Turkey is worried that the American efforts against ISIS/ISL will strengthen the position of the Syrian Kurds. By the way, the Syrian Kurds maintain close ties to the Kurdish separatists in Turkey. Oh…and by the way…the good ole US of A is allied with the Kurds in Iraq!
Still confused? Did I mention Assad! Go figure! I’m determined to sort through this insanity! I think religion may have something to do with this! No?
Below is an Introduction to EVEN more Religous WACHO Insane SH*T!
Let's behead somebody!!!
And then let's behead other folks who are innocent of all this Wacko Religious Sh*t! And then lets do another innocent one! And then another one!
But then again...how could any sane/educated person (people) fly a jet-liner into a building!!! Oh...my bad...I forgot about the 27 virgins! Terrorism is a bitch...and IMHO...so is religion! 'Nuff said! Pass the collection plate please! Reverend Jones needs a new Cadillac!
My thoughts apply to so many people including my immediate loved ones, extended family and friends. If I expressed what I really felt at any given moment (during one of our conversations), I’m sure I would have either offended them or I would be misunderstood…so I just shut (the f*ck) up!
I’m not looking for any empathy…but it’s a hell of a burden to carry. I’m no saint…but I just wish more people would see it my way.
I’m not a big astrology buff…but did I mention I was born under the sign of Cancer? Perhaps that explains it all? Maybe? Who knows! I'm just sayin'!
One response to his Op-Ed was...
“We can’t fix their problems. It’s up to every black individual to stop the cycle of fatherless homes, stop the cycle of generations on welfare.”
Per Mr. Kristof:
"There was a deluge of such comments, some toxic, but let me try to address three principal arguments that I think prop up white delusion."
The three principle arguments were:
First, if blacks are poor or in prison, it’s all their fault. “Blacks don’t get it,” Bruce tweeted. “Choosing to be cool vs. getting good grades is a bad choice. We all start from 0.”
But look at Asians, Mark protests on my Google Plus page: Vietnamese arrived in poverty — and are now school valedictorians. Why can’t blacks be like that?
Look, the basic reason young black men are regarded with suspicion is that they’re disproportionately criminals. The root problem isn’t racism. It’s criminality.
His follow-up piece is titled..."Whites Just Don't Get It" To see more and his responses to the above comments, check out his posting on the N.Y. Times.
I first saw a live Joan Rivers performance back in the mid-1960s in Dubuque, Iowa! That's right, I said Dubuque, IOWA! That's a whole 'nother story! As usual, even in those early days she pushed the envelope and I'm not so sure how many of those mid-westerners appreciated her razor sharp tongue...but that was 50+ years ago. I however was rolling on the floor!
But here’s what evidence does strongly suggest: Young black men in America suffer from widespread racism and stereotyping, by all society — including African-Americans themselves."
This Op-Ed article is a very interesting perspective and a "must read! Take the tests! I did. It was an eye opener! Trust me!
Ya just can't make this sh*t up!
Scores of passengers, together with staff at Stirling station, managed to tilt the carriage so the man could free his leg which was wedged in the gap."
More details at Mail UK!
All in all, it was a relaxing and enjoyable journey. One day (+) in Nassau and a day at sea on the return voyage. Aside from that, what captured my attention more than anything else, were the "looks" of many of my fellow passengers (2,600+)!
My wife thinks I’m going to hell for these comments, but what I saw amazed me for two-and-a-half days. It started from the moment we arrived at the pier in Miami. My wife rolled her eyes at me every time I pointed out these things. Pointed out what? That’s what you’re probably thinking. Well here goes. These are my personal observations…and yes…I’m probably going to hell!
Store bought hair!
Gold!
For the women, it was the big (and I mean BIG) gold hoop earrings. If not hoops, saucer size were just as fine. For the men…I noticed a few gold teeth…maybe more than a few!
Fat (obese) folks!
I should talk! Overweight…yes, obese no! We’re talkin’ both men and women. These were big people…people! Somehow, many of the overweight women prefer to wear these ankle length jersey dresses, preferably in two or three sizes too small! You get to see sh*t you don’t want to see. Do they have magic mirrors at home? Do they have any mirrors at home?
Tattoos…EVERYWHERE!
Neck (ugh), semi-exposed titties, arms, calves, backs, ankles, EVERYWHERE! Did I mention the titties!
"However, he's tolerated by the Tea Party movement because he's a reliable supporter of whatever their political position du jour is, including opposing Obamacare, taxes, gun control, the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, and the American Jobs Act stimulus bill."
"What makes Gohmert remarkable isn't his run-of-the-mill Tea Party positions, but rather, that he defends them with incredibly stupid reasons. Jesus hates taxes! Gun control will lead to bestiality! The American Jobs Act is an attack on marriage! Obama talking to BP about the 2010 oil spill is just like Hitler! Foreign aid to China will lead them to sell us food with cats and dogs in it! Oil pipelines are good for wildlife! Hate crimes legislation leads to necrophilia!"
Postscript: You just can't make this sh*t up! Texans actually vote for this guy!!!
"Without borders, there is no nation, Obama knows this. Opening our borders to a flood of illegal immigrants is deliberate. This is his fundamental transformation of America. It’s the only promise he has kept."
“President Obama’s rewarding of lawlessness, including his own, is the foundational problem here. It’s not going to get better, and in fact irreparable harm can be done in this lame-duck term as he continues to make up his own laws as he goes along, and, mark my words, will next meddle in the U.S. Court System with appointments that will forever change the basic interpretation of our Constitution’s role in protecting our rights.”
"It’s time to impeach; and on behalf of American workers and legal immigrants of all backgrounds, we should vehemently oppose any politician on the left or right who would hesitate in voting for articles of impeachment. The many impeachable offenses of Barack Obama can no longer be ignored. If after all this he’s not impeachable, then no one is."
Usually, once she completes the cutting, piecing and sewing, she often sends her work out to a third party to add the “batting”, backing and machine quilting for the final result (short of the binding work). This time…instead of sending the quilt, we decided to deliver it in person.
Over the course of years, our third party quilting “resource” has developed into a great friendship. While we were at her shop, we were talking about our kids, retirement, possible vacation plans and an assortment of other topics. At some point during our conversation, our quilting friend said how much she loves President Obama especially because of the Affordable Care Act! We asked what was behind this love affair!
Both she and her husband are 64 years old and are self-employed entrepreneurs.
At 64, neither are yet eligible for Medicare and have not begun to collect Social Security. They were paying $2000 per month for health insurance! TWO GRAND per MONTH!!! As entrepreneurs, health insurance was their second largest monthly expense. Once they signed up for the Affordable Care Act (aka…Obamacare), their health insurance (for the EXACT same coverage) is now $500 a month!!!
They went from two grand per month to five hundred for the EXACT same coverage!!! I encouraged them to write the White House!
These beauties are from my sister/brother-in-laws Florida backyard! Go check out mango.org for other Mango goodness!
Within minutes of the Netherlands' 2-1 victory over Mexico, KLM let loose on its Twitter feed a picture of an airport departures sign under the heading "Adios Amigos!" Next to the word "Departures" is the image of a man with a moustache wearing a sombrero. That Twitter posting has since been removed.
The 5-4 decision, in favor of arts-and-crafts chain Hobby Lobby and one other company, marks the first time the court has ruled that for-profit businesses can cite religious views under federal law.
Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion in the ObamaCare case, finding the contraceptive mandate in its current form "unlawful." The court's four liberal justices dissented.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday afternoon that the decision "jeopardizes the health of women who are employed by these companies," but said the administration would respect the ruling.
"We will work with Congress to make sure that any women affected by this decision will still have the same coverage of vital health services as everyone else," he said. Earnest did not get into specifics, saying they are still assessing the decision and trying to determine which companies are affected.
"In soccer, the blame is dispersed and almost no one scores anyway. There are no heroes, no losers, no accountability, and no child's fragile self-esteem is bruised."
"There's a reason perpetually alarmed women are called "soccer moms," not "football moms. Liberal moms like soccer because it's a sport in which athletic talent finds so little expression that girls can play with boys. No serious sport is co-ed, even at the kindergarten level."
"I resent the force-fed aspect of soccer. The same people trying to push soccer on Americans are the ones demanding that we love HBO's "Girls," light-rail, Beyonce and Hillary Clinton."
"One group of sports fans with whom soccer is not "catching on" at all, is African-Americans. They remain distinctly unimpressed by the fact that the French like it."
"Soccer is like the metric system, which liberals also adore because it's European. Naturally, the metric system emerged from the French Revolution, during the brief intervals when they weren't committing mass murder by guillotine."
"If more "Americans" are watching soccer today, it's only because of the demographic switch effected by Teddy Kennedy's 1965 immigration law. I promise you: No American whose great-grandfather was born here is watching soccer. One can only hope that, in addition to learning English, these new Americans will drop their soccer fetish with time."
You can read her entire WACKO post here!
FOOTNOTE:
Ann Coulter is an American conservative social and political commentator, writer, syndicated columnist, and lawyer.
She rose to prominence in the 1990s as an outspoken critic of the Clinton administration.
Well known for her unapologetic conservative political opinions and the controversial ways in which she presents and defends them, Coulter likes to "stir up the pot", and does not "pretend to be impartial or balanced, as broadcasters do".
I think she let him off easy (but I didn't see the whole interview). He is a war monger and a war profiteer...nothing else! Oh...and he is evil!
My 2 cents...
WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction)? NO! Halilburton? Yes!
You, Rumsfield and Dubya ought to be charged with war crimes!
The truth is that these days much of the commentary you see on the Obama administration — and a lot of the reporting too — emphasizes the negative: the contrast between the extravagant hopes of 2008 and the prosaic realities of political trench warfare, the troubles at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the mess in Iraq, and so on. The accepted thing, it seems, is to portray Mr. Obama as floundering, his presidency as troubled if not failed.
But this is all wrong. You should judge leaders by their achievements, not their press, and in terms of policy substance Mr. Obama is having a seriously good year. In fact, there’s a very good chance that 2014 will go down in the record books as one of those years when America took a major turn in the right direction."
Read the full article at the New York Times!
